Ric O’Barry and hundreds of activists are heading to Niagara Falls in Ontario this weekend to demonstrate on the seasonal opening day of one of the worst dolphinariums in the world: Marineland.

A series of scathing articles last year in the Toronto Star, using interviews with former trainers and other employees, has painted a picture of wanton neglect and outrageous animal cruelty throughout the park. Public demonstrations swelled from a handful of activists to hundreds of opponents of Marineland.

“There is no longer any excuse for the government of Canada to ignore the problems at Marineland,” says Ric O’Barry. “These problems with animal care have been well-attested by knowledgeable trainers and staff members who have had the courage to speak out. Action must now be taken to shut the facility down.”

We know, from repeated scientific work over the past decade, that dolphins are on par with humans in terms of their need for family connections, their cognitive abilities, and their behavior. It is just wrong to keep these animals in captivity.

A group of high school students have put together a great video about the problems at Marineland as a school project:

The demonstration will be held in front of Marineland on Saturday, May 18th, from noon to 2 PM.

There will also be a special ceremony for Ric to receive a check from the Billie Celebrity Charity Challenge. (Thanks to all of you who voted for Ric a couple of months ago!)

Rachel Larivee, one of the demo organizers and a Dolphin Project activist in Canada who has joined Ric in Tokyo to protest the Taiji dolphin hunts, stated: “Saturday’s demonstration at Marineland is the first of this season – the big ‘kick-off’. My hope is that it ignites the fire within activists, new and seasoned, young and old, to remain present within this campaign and see it through to the end. The finality comes when we collectively ‘shut it down’.”

Rachel added: “It’s important for all of us to realize, no matter what our role or level of activism, whether it be from behind a computer screen, sharing information to everyone you can, or coming to demonstrations: ALL acts are relevant and help support the issue. KEEP THE FLAME BURNING!”